How important is ramping lights up and down?

[djryan2000]

I'm between using the $400 reef breeders or a pair of $70 Hipargo LEDs for a 20 gallon reef. From par testing online I think if I have 2 I'll be good for anemones and most corals. The only issue I see with the cheaper lights is there's no timer or ramp up / down setting. Is this something I can be successful without? Are there accessories similar to timers that can ramp the lights up / down?


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[ryeguyy84]

Ramping is just for looks, when I had t5s and then metal halides they just turned on.

The ramp is good IMO for nighttime, so it's less shocking for people in the room that the light just turns off suddenly.

My tanks in my living room and I barely notice the tank get dark since it's over an hour or so of dimming down.

I've heard good things about that light, I might get one on a frag tank I'm thinking of starting

 

[Dmorty217]

It's not important at all. The only benefit is for your viewing, not the inhabitants. Tanks have been run for decades on metal halides and T5s and they are either on or off

 

[Sk8r]

Used to use a mh rig that had 2 actinic blues that came on first. They're for color correction, as mh alone can look kind of bilious. Putting them on first and last gave a twilight that was quite nice. On separate timing circuits.

 

[MondoBongo]

my only argument for ramp up/down aside from aesthetics, is that sometimes abrupt changes in lighting levels can startle fish. some fish handle this stuff better than others. but there's been more than once that i've accidentally knocked out the power to my lights, and it can sometimes cause a bit of a kerfuffle. now i have a lid, so i'm not concerned about jumpers, but it is something to consider.

 

[BrennMun]

I currently have the same 2 Hip. lights on my 55 gallon- they are fantastic and can be manually ramped up and down. Amazon has a good deal on them!

 

[hkgar]

How important is ramping lights up and down?

On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being no importance and 10 extremely important I would say zero.